Psychotic savior
by Mangetsu-Yuki
Summary: When Grimmjow confronts Gin about his treason towards Aizen, the two start to fight. Gin has to win in order to protect the promise he made to Matsumoto as a kid, but he finds out Grimmjow has an ulterior motive of his own. Who will win: The snake or the panther? Please note this is a fan-based story and that the plot and/or characters may differ from the original. Enjoy!
1. Traitorous experiment

Hueco Mundo was as quiet and deserted as always, and it would stay like that for a long time. Those were the thoughts of the former Captain of Squad three: Ichimaru Gin. With his nose pointing upwards, staring at the sky that never changed, he wandered around the sandy environment, enjoying the uninterrupted silence. There was nothing like taking a walk to relax and forget about everything.

With everything, the one known for being a snake meant that which needed to look like he had betrayed the Soul Society. Every single day, it seemed as if his plans for eliminating Aizen were getting harder and harder to execute; the current ruler of Las Noches had grown even more powerful than Gin had feared, and he was still getting stronger every day. It made his betrayal almost futile.

But he couldn't let that huge sacrifice go to waste. The least he had to do, was apologize to the one he practically did this for; Rangiku. A slight smile appeared on his face upon thinking about the promise he made her when they were kids. "I'm going to become a Soul Reaper, to change things. It's so that you won't have to cry anymore, Rangiku." It was a promise the silver-haired one had to turn into reality, or he would never be able to die peacefully.

'Well well, look who we have here, it's Mister Traitor.'

Gin quickly looked around while trying to maintain his composure. When he finally saw a piece of white cloth behind one of the quartz-like pillars, he tightened up and swiftly walked over to the -unidentifiable- creature.

The blue hair he saw when he looked behind the pillar was enough for him to know whom he was dealing with: The sixth Espada. Even though his number would state that he wasn't as strong as he always claimed to be, there was a good reason not to be fooled by that single digit, for this Espada represented one of Death's most terrifying aspects: Destruction.

Destruction could mean a lot of things and while most people immediately thought of their homes or their bodies being destructed, it was mainly the mental destruction that made the snake wary of this Number Six. Even though Grimmjow wasn't the most intelligent Espada in the bunch, he could still be very cunning when he had to and loved to play with people's minds before he would break them completely.

'At least you're calling me Mister. Do you finally know your place, Grimmjow?' The snake said calmly as he squinted his eyes towards the deviant. Grimmjow let out a slight mocking laugh before he stood up, keeping his hands in his pockets as he did.

'If by "my place" you mean that I am higher in rank than you, then yes, I do. I can't believe Lord Aizen hasn't noticed that you're stabbing him in the back, you filthy snake.'

'And you didn't run to Las Noches to tell him?'

As Gin put up his defenses, Grimmjow took a step forward and clearly tried to intimidate the former Captain. It appeared to be working, as the wary feeling within Gin grew stronger, but still, he refused to take a step back, for it would be the first step towards mental destruction.

'Lord Aizen doesn't need to know, he shouldn't have to concern himself with a weakling like yourself; I'm more than enough to end your traitorous life.'

'Those are some harsh words, Grimmjow. You do know that you're dealing with me, right? I won't go down easy.'

A second mocking laugh sounded as Grimmjow took another step forward, keeping his hand clutched around the handle of his sword. He let his tongue briefly lick his lips as if to say he was ready to taste Gin's blood. The grin that came with it, most likely confirmed that the Espada was in that mood.

'You will suffice as a great subject for my latest little experiment; this will be so much fun!'

The Espada didn't even try to hide his excitement as the grip around the handle grew stronger; after which he jumped backwards, preparing his first attack. The grin on his face had grown even wider and he licked his lips once more.

Gin found himself lost in thought for a moment, trying to figure out whether Grimmjow was really just enjoying himself or if this farce was all part of the mental destruction he was capable of. Unable to find an answer, he assumed a defensive position, ready to receive the first attack of this battle to the death.

Grimmjow flew towards the former Captain, planting his fist right in his face, causing him to be thrown back several tens of meters. Not expecting a blunt street fight like that, Gin stood up and wiped away the blood that was emerging from his mouth. He slowly strolled a few meters towards the Espada, who was laughing loudly as he yelled out to his opponent.

'Ha! Do you see snake? There is no way you can win against me, realize it!'

'Foolish Adjuchas, you are the one who should realize something: I am ranked above you for a reason. Why don't you try to let that sink in for a moment, you worthless Hollow.'

The blue-haired one's eyes shot wide for the first time in a long time. Not many had the guts to call him an Adjuchas or Hollow, and absolutely none of those who had dared to, had gotten away alive. He was on a whole other level than those lowly beasts; he was an Espada.

'You filthy snake,' Grimmjow hissed. 'You just crossed a line you shouldn't have crossed; I'll make you suffer.'

He charged forward as a small cero started to build up in his right hand palm. If this would hit the snake head on, it would cause severe damage, he was sure of it.

_'Cero!'_ The amount of strength that came from his voice alone would have been enough to scare his weaker opponents away. The snake didn't move a muscle, though, and appeared to be directly hit by the powerful wave of energy.

'Ha! Got you, you fucking asshole! Now, prepare y-'

_'Shoot to kill, Shinso.'_

As the blue-haired one looked at his right, Shinso had already made contact with his right wrist, slicing the soft flesh with a swiftly executed move. Before Grimmjow had realized what had happened, Gin's _Zanpaktou_ had already returned to its original form; it left the Espada in doubt for a moment, unsure if he had really seen what he thought he had seen.

But when he looked at his wrist, he knew he had it right; this had been the work of the snake's _Zanpaktou_. As the pain finally kicked in –and left the Espada grunting for a few seconds- he observed the damage he had taken. The flesh, muscles and bones of his wrist were showing their selves bluntly, as if to say he had been too slow. Grimmjow let his teeth grind with annoyance as he narrowed his eyes towards his opponent. The loss of his right hand wasn't what bothered him most, but rather the fact that it was cut off perfectly made him wary of the snake. Maybe he had underestimated Gin, which meant this could become a very thrilling fight.

'This is exciting, isn't it?' It wasn't clear whether Grimmjow was talking to Gin, or just to himself. Either way, Gin could feel a change in his attitude, one that would make this fight a lot more difficult to win. Number six was ready to begin total destruction.

'Let's skip the further warm-up.' Grimmjow drew his sword and carefully placed his hand on the destructive weapon as he let his grin grow even wider. 'Let the experiment begin!' He yelled. 'Prepare to die, traitor; we'll meet again in hell! _Grind, Pantera!_'

Though Gin had seen this form of Number 6, he had never been this close and was forced to protect himself against the enormous amount of energy which was now emerging from the Espada. His new form was impressive; it looked like prey that had evolved itself in becoming the hunter.

'I'll show you what I can do in this form, you can't st- Fuck! Where did you go, snake?'

'I'm right here.'

Annoyance took over Grimmjow's thoughts once more as he looked behind him, only to find nothing that would tell him where Gin went.

_'Shoot to kill, Shin-'_

'Too slow!'

The silence, which usually overtook Hueco Mundo, had now been broken completely; not only by the sounds of opponents clashing and not only by the insults they kept throwing at each other, but mostly by the screams the former Captain let out. It wouldn't have been surprising if some creatures in Las Noches could have heard him.

The pain that was currently investing in Gin's nerve system was enough to make him kneel on the sandy ground. After a few seconds, he gathered the courage to look at the inflicted wound and when he did, it was even worse than he had imagined.

The few thin muscles that were holding on to what used to be his left arm made the limb dangle as soon as Gin moved. Deep within the edges of the torn up flesh, there were the teeth marks that had executed this animal-like attack. With his eyes closed and pointing at the never changing sky, he prepared himself for the pain that was about to make itself known.

The former Captain screamed as he bluntly ripped off his own arm, able to hear the few muscles snap one by one as he did. The small amount of blood that came with it created a neat puddle and infused itself with the sand around.

'How's that?' Grimmjow fiendishly laughed at the act of desperation before him, knowing that desperation was always followed by destruction. Just a little more, just a few more bites and the experiment would be completed. After eating so many Hollows he was ready to try something new and being able to eat a _Shinigami_ was just what he had aimed for. This traitor would be a great first subject and if Grimmjow succeeded in gaining some of his power by eating his vessel, there would be a lot more subjects following that first.

A grunting noise tore the Sixth away from his thoughts and before Gin could get up, he had already pinned him down; putting all of his weight on the kneeling one's back, causing his face to be smashed into the sand. While Grimmjow held him down, Gin slowly ceased any form of movement.

'You're not done already, are you? How boring. Weren't you running your mouth about how you were above me? What a fucking bullshit! You're already unconscious and I haven't even begun to play with you!'

Grimmjow was about to let his teeth drill into the neck of his victim when he suddenly stood straight and looked at the sky. He kicked the body in front of him and made it roll over; aware of the fact that Gin was still conscious, for he slightly opened his eyes.

'Do you sense that?' Grimmjow hissed as he licked his lips. 'We have visitors from the Soul Society. It feels like a Captain and a Lieutenant, doesn't it?'

'Leave her alone,' Gin muttered. 'If you touch her, I'll kill you.'

Grimmjow crouched next to the snake and planted his fist aggressively in the sand next to him as he laughed loudly.

'Ha! Do you seriously think you can stop me? She's that Rangiku-woman, isn't she?'

Gin's eyes shot wide and he tried to get up, only to fail miserably.

'How do you-'

'Tosen told us all about it; about how you were to betray us for that woman and about how wonderful it would be to kill her right in front of you. You just wait here, filthy snake. I'll go get her so you can spend your final moments together. As for that Captain who is with her; I'll be sure to make him suffer.'

With that, Grimmjow stood back up and kicked Gin in the stomach, making him cough up some blood. Within a few seconds, he was gone, ready to hunt down his second and third prey. As Gin tried to get up once more, he suddenly saw a shadow next to him, one he recognized out of thousands.

'What are you doing here?' He hissed.

'I heard the word 'experiment', so I came to see what was going on. You don't look so good, former Captain.'

'Cease your damn remarks. Listen: Grimmjow is about to-'

'I know, Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Matsumoto are somewhere within the Dangai right now, but that's not something you should concern yourself with. They can take care of themselves. Let me take care of that arm for you. Now, stay still, this can hurt a little.'


	2. Frozen passage

'Captain Hitsugaya, please come in. We have picked up on a strong energy coming your way. Have you made it into Hueco Mundo yet?'

The white-haired Captain quickly stopped running for a second as he looked around and tried to sense whatever it was the _Shinigami_ on the other side of the _Dangai_ were talking about, but after a few seconds, he had to admit failure. The Lieutenant standing behind him nervously looked around and let her head drop slightly when she too, couldn't sense a thing.

'No we haven't entered yet.' Hitsugaya's voice was calm, totally contradicting his body language, for he seemed to be backing up in a nervous manner. 'What is this energy you speak of? I don't sense a thing.'

'We don't know, Sir. All we know is that it just entered the _Dangai_, so please be careful.'

Again, the Captain tried to concentrate and within moments, he sensed the energy his subordinates had mentioned. It was a strong energy indeed, one that couldn't belong to a normal Arrancar.

'Captain, I sense it too,' Matsumoto whispered. 'It's closing in on us fast.'

Hitsugaya nodded and started to run again, with his Lieutenant tailing him.

'Wait a second; aren't we closing in on the energy by running this way, Captain?'

He sighed.

'Yes, we are. It doesn't matter which way we run; at this speed he or she will catch up with us even if we run back to Soul Society. Plus, I don't run from my enemies.'

'Maybe it's not an enemy, Captain. Maybe _he_ is coming back.'

Hitsugaya shook his head.

'I would have noticed if it were him who was coming our way. It's easy to recognize a fellow _Shinigami_.' He said. 'No, this is a different energy. It feels like an Arrancar, but stronger. Maybe it's one of those Fracción-guys again.'

With caution, but also with enormous speed, the two Shinigami moved further forward, hoping they would be able to enter Hueco Mundo soon, but after two more minutes of running, there was still no end in sight.

'It's here,' Matsumoto shrieked.

The two stopped to look at the silhouette in front of them, still unable to figure out whom they were dealing with. Hitsugaya took a step forward and cautiously grabbed the handle of his Zanpaktou, ready for battle.

'Who is there?' He said calmly. 'Are you from the Fracción?'

The silhouette stepped forward as well, showing his features to the enemies in front of him. The long blue hair and white outfit were still unknown to the Shinigami, though they now knew that they weren't dealing with a normal Arrancar, as the Captain had predicted.

'You know the Fracción?' he asked. 'Then, you wouldn't happen to know someone by the name of Shawlong Koufang, do you?'

The left corner of Hitsugaya's mouth curled up in a smirk not many had seen from him. It was clear to him that this man was an enemy who was working under Aizen and that he could pose a serious threat if he wasn't defeated here and now.

'I killed him.' The Captain's answer was short and ruthless and the smirk on his face evolved into a grin. 'Was he your friend?'

Out of the many possible reactions to that provocation, Hitsugaya hadn't expected for the blue-haired one to start laughing. It wasn't a nervous laugh to hide any emotions; it was more of a maniacal laugh, as if he didn't care about the fact that his accomplice had been murdered.

'My friend?' Grimmjow didn't even try to keep a straight face as he mockingly pointed towards the Captain. 'He was my subordinate, nothing more. It's nice to know you killed him, though, for you will hopefully appear to be stronger enemy than that other Captain.'

'Other Captain?' Hitsugaya couldn't help but fall for the provocation Grimmjow had thrown his way. 'Who are you referring to?'

'Oh, you know,' he said while glaring at Matsumoto. 'That traitorous snake with the silver hair. We just fought and well, I won. None of you _Shinigami_ can stop me, the sixth Espada: Grimmjow Jeagerjaques.'

At that moment, Matsumoto flew past her Captain and made an attempt to cut her enemy, but all he had to do, was take a step to his left, for the Lieutenant was slightly blinded by the tears that were coming up.

He grabbed her wrist and took a good look at her, wondering what she would taste like.

'I can see why he loved you so much,' he said quietly. 'You look like a fine woman. Care to come with me and look at that snake's body? If I'm in a good mood, I might just let you live.'

Before Matsumoto could answer the deviant, he had let go of her wrist and she could hear the clashing of metal. As she wiped away the tears and could once again see clearly, she saw how her Captain pushed back the panther-like Espada.

'Captain Hitsu-'

'Go away, Rangiku!' He yelled. 'Turn around and run back, that's an order!'

A fraction of a second, the Lieutenant couldn't move a muscle, for her Captain wouldn't use her first name unless he was serious.

'But Captain, I-'

'Are you deaf?' He raised his voice even more. 'It's an order! Now go!'

Unable to ignore an order given to her by her beloved Captain, Matsumoto flew past him once again and started to run as fast as she could, back to the Soul Society. As much as she wanted to confirm Gin's well being, the thought that there was another Shinigami in Hueco Mundo whom was hopefully taking care of him was what kept her legs moving.

'Captain,' she whispered as she saw the gate that would remove her from this dark path. 'Please come back safely.'

If only this Lieutenant had known the outcome of this battle, she would have never left her Captain's side, but she did and the question of whether she could have been of any assistance or not, would forever be left unanswered.

* * *

'What do you want with Matsumoto?'

Hitsugaya's voice had changed as soon as his Lieutenant could no longer hear him. Even though he had never met this Grimmjow, he exactly knew what he was after, for the story about Gin and Matsumoto was one he knew all too well.

Grimmjow jumped backwards and let his fingers play with his left ear, totally ignoring the small Captain's question.

'It's just the two of us now,' he contemplated. 'I'm all you need to focus on; if you don't, it will be like digging your own grave, _Shinigami._ It's time for my second experiment, so brace yourself!'

'It is you who should brace himself,' Hitsugaya hissed. 'I don't have time to be quarreling with you like this. Now, tell me: What do you plan on doing to Matsumoto?'

Grimmjow, while grinning, bit on his lip, probably to prevent himself from telling the Captain everything in excitement. It was only after a few seconds, that he noticed he had bitten too hard and when a thickened red fluid emerged from the small wound he had created, after which he licked his lips quite exuberantly.

'Let's make a deal: I'll tell you everything if you manage to win, how about that?'

Hitsugaya sighed with annoyance.

'Fine, let's get serious then._ Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru.'_

The Espada assumed a defensive position, wondering what the small one would be capable of. Hitsugaya quickly flew towards him, ready to strike. All Grimmjow had to do, was move his upper body to the right. Hitsugaya stopped for a second, turned around and repeated his charging move.

After a few times of missing his target, the Captain held still, a few meters away from his enemy, whom was laughing mockingly.

'What were you trying to do? Are you really a Captain, or are you just a kid pretending to be one? You're a joke!' There was no response. 'Now, prepare for an attack of mine, I'm going to blow you to bits!'

Hitsugaya showed a crooked smile as soon as Grimmjow started to build up his attack from the palm of his hand and just before the blue-haired one could speak the words, he interfered.'

_'Cer-'_

_'Rokui Hyouketsujin.' _

'What the-'

The trap Hitsugaya had laid down when he had been charging towards his enemy, was now set in motion. Out of nowhere, a huge pillar of ice emerged from the floor, capturing Grimmjow in its thick crystal-like and rock hard material.

'Stay in there forever, scum.' The Captain said quietly. 'Though you will probably be killed by the Koutotsu, for it will arrive in about three days.'

As he turned around, ready to follow his loyal Lieutenant, he recalled the promise Grimmjow had made him and figured that it could never be fulfilled.

'Well, it doesn't matter now,' he said. 'Matsumoto is safe now, so whatever his plan was, he did not succeed.'

After he had taken a few steps away from the enormous ice-pillar, a cracking noise made him turn back to the enemy. As parts of the pillar slowly fell onto the ground, the laughter that came from it made Hitsugaya show that he no longer thought nothing of his opponent, for he hissed the words that should have granted him victory, acknowledging this Espada's strength.

_'Bankai! Daiguren Hyourinmaru!'_

As soon as Grimmjow was completely freed from the ice which had enveloped him, he readied his claws and charged at the Shinigami. Still a bit flustered by Grimmjow's quick escape from the _Rokui Hyouketsujin_, Hitsugaya suddenly felt a stinging pain emerge from his leg. When he looked at it, he noticed a chunk of flesh had been removed from his right calf. Seeing the white bone clearly, with the torn off flesh and muscles around it, added to the insufferable pain this Captain was going through. As much as he tried to stand on his right leg, gravity did its job as soon as he tried. Only when he used his sword as a cane, Hitsugaya managed to stay on two feet.

_'Gun-' _He muttered. _'Guncho Tsurara.'_

All the ice that belonged to the broken down pillar, instantly turned into water and from that liquid, took on the shape of daggers that were all flying towards Grimmjow, who had just swallowed the last piece of Hitsugaya's flesh. He was enjoying his late-night snack so much; he didn't pay enough attention and found he had been cut in six different places, from his shoulders to his knees.

'You annoying little ice-brat!' He yelled. 'I'll make you suffer for sure now!'

He was fast, this Espada; too fast. Before Hitsugaya could react, the blue-haired one's claws had grabbed a hold of his left shoulder, pulling the skin and flesh beneath it. At first, it sounded like rubber that was being stretched, but soon after, the muscles and tendons produced a sound of their own while they were being ripped of the bone they used to be attached to.

The Captain fell to the floor, completely unable to move due to the excruciating pain that was flowing though his being. As he lay there, contemplating whether he could escape from this pinch, the foot that was holding down his chest gave the answer to that question away. He wouldn't be able to see Matsumoto again and he wouldn't be able to protect her in any way from now on.

'Now, stay still little Captain. I'm going to take one more bite and after that, the woman is mine, so that I can take her with me to Hueco Mundo and show her both your corpse and the one from the traitorous snake.'

As Hitsugaya failed at saying his last words, Grimmjow laughed with excitement.

'Oh, silly me,' he smirked. 'Now I've told you my plan, what if you're going to stop me?'

Knowing he couldn't do anything against the Espada, Hitsugaya squinted his eyes towards the deviant; showing him how much he despised him in the only way his body allowed him to.

Grimmjow slowly put his teeth against the neck of the Captain, right beside the visible bones in his shoulder. As soon as the sharp teeth pierced their way through the flesh, Hitsugaya screamed like he had never done before. Grimmjow only grinned widely.

'So long, little Captain.'

* * *

Kurotsuchi Mayuri was strolling through the _Dangai_, returning from Hueco Mundo to the Soul Society. When he noticed there were smears of blood on the floor, he slightly stepped up the pace and soon arrived at a severed body lying lifeless on the floor.

It was a body the Captain of the twelfth Division knew all too well. On the one hand, he felt great sorrow, for he had lost a fellow Captain, but on the other hand, he now possessed a great clue and subject when it came to investigating this experiment the Espada had spoken of.

'I will take excellent care of you, Captain Hitsugaya,' he said. 'Your sacrifice will not be in vain.'

As Mayuri started to gather the pieces of this Captain's body, he wondered where the Espada had gone. He could be either in the real world on in the Soul Society, this scientist wasn't sure. It all depended on where Matsumoto had gone.

After gathering the pieces of flesh and bone, he stood up and resumed his stroll, only to be blown away by a huge force that flew past him.

'Well, would you look at that,' he said quietly as he looked at the white cloth that was now already far in front of him. 'I never would have guessed you would have recovered so soon, your arm looks fine too. Let's just hope you can save the Lieutenant's life.'


	3. Clashing animals

It was when Rangiku Matsumoto felt a stinging pain in her chest that she knew something had gone horribly wrong. Something had happened to her Captain and when she thought back about the Espada's crazy eyes, she feared for the worst.

'Captain,' she whispered. 'Please come back.'

With her arms folded over one another, she started to nervously pace around, hoping the white-haired ice-boy would come from behind one of the trees any moment now.

When the Lieutenant heard a rustling behind the bushes around, she could feel her hopes rising, only to being crushed seconds later. It was now clear to her that her Captain had lost the fight and all she could wish for was that he was still alive.

'Found you, woman.'

The crazy blue eyes stared at her and soon after, the Espada's entire being was in front of the Lieutenant. She looked at him with fear and determination, ready to slay him, but also afraid of what had happened to her Captain.

'He really tried his hardest,' number six said. 'It's a shame he didn't survive.'

As he laughed in a maniacal manner, Matsumoto readied her _Zanpaktou_ and attempted to cut the panther-like creature in front of her. He just did the same as before, and dodged with a single step to the left.

'You know,' he said while walking circles around her. 'I offered you quite a deal back in the _Dangai_; I even said I might let you live, but that ship has now sailed. I'm going to make you regret not accepting my offer.'

He took a step forward and grabbed the woman's hair, pulling her in. As he held onto her chin and took another look at her, the Lieutenant herself spoke two words that should have done her opponent some harm.

_'Growl, Haineko!'_

For a second, Grimmjow was genuinely surprised by the ashes encircling him, but as soon as he noticed the strength of the Lieutenant's _Zanpaktou_, he just laughed it off and charged towards her, pinning her to the ground.

'Nice try, but no,' he hissed. 'This is where you die, in the Soul Society, serving as my third subject and following the two Captains who died not so long ago.'

As much as Matsumoto tried to free herself from the panther's grip, there was nothing she could do against his monstrous strength. Even though she was nowhere ready to die, the thought of being reunited with her Captain made her fate more bearable.

'Now, let's see what you taste like woman. I'll-'

_'Shoot to kill, Shinso.'_

Suddenly, the Espada fell backwards, screaming and cursing until he recovered from the sudden attack. When he looked in front of him, the Lieutenant was gone. He looked around and found her standing on a tree branch, held tightly by the traitorous snake.

'You,' Grimmjow growled 'How are you alive?'

Gin quickly whispered something in Matsumoto's ear, after which she quickly disappeared. The snake leapt down and as soon as he was in front of the deviant, he slightly smiled; something he did not do very often.

'Let's just say there are creatures who are conducting way more advanced experiments than you are.' He said.

'I don't get what you're saying,' Grimmjow hissed.

Gin shook his head and laughed in a mocking manner.

'You really are thick, aren't you? There was another Captain in Hueco Mundo when you and I fought; we can call him the crazy scientist. He patched me up with his weird pills and injections and well, here I am. Does that clarify things for you?'

Grimmjow, who was now clearly agitated, showed his teeth and charged forward, but was unable to hit his opponent, for he had disappeared.

'My _shunpo_ is impressive, isn't it?' Once again, Gin stood on one of the tree branches and waved at the Espada while grinning.

Grimmjow grounded his teeth and flew towards the snake with his claws ready to strike.

'I should have made sure you were dead,' he hissed. 'Oh well, now I get to sever your body again, that sounds like fun too!'

The former Captain didn't seem impressed by this statement and as soon as the Espada was in front of him, Gin put all of his weight into his opponent's ribs, causing one or two of them to crack instantly. Grimmjow harshly fell on the ground and before he could get up, Gin had pinned him down.

The snake obviously searched for something in his pockets and for a second, Grimmjow felt nervous, wondering what it was the former Captain needed. It would also give him a few seconds to catch his breath, for his broken ribs caused him more pain that he had expected.

'You aren't going to kill me?' He laughed, readying his claws once again.

'Oh, I am going to kill you,' Gin said with a smile. 'I just need to make sure you die a slow and painful death. Ah, here it is.'

Even though Grimmjow didn't really feel the needle that was being stuck into his arm, he did feel the nervousness arise again, for he did not know what had just been injected in his body. Not that it really mattered; the snake would die soon enough.

'What the fuck did you just do?' Grimmjow asked as he kicked Gin in the stomach and got up.

All Gin did was smile as he watched the panther's eyes get bigger.

'Dymethyltryptamine.'

'What are you blabbering about snake?'

'Dymethyltryptamine, that's what I gave you. It's a drug that was discovered in the human world, also known as DMT. It's a hallucination drug that will make you psychotic in about a minute. Do you see where I'm going with this, _Adjuchas?_'

The Espada could feel his body slowly being taken over by what apparently was said drug and he looked at his opponent, who was slowly starting to turn green. Also, the trees that surrounded the two suddenly started to take on a different form and a puddle of water next to the panther turned into thick red blood.

'Shit,' Grimmjow hissed. 'This isn't good.'

He turned towards the puddle and got on his knees beside it.

'It's blood,' he said quietly to himself. 'It looks tasty.'

Like a dog drinking out of its bowl, Grimmjow started to lick the water, smirking every time he tasted some.

'Is this your blood, _Shinigami_?'

Gin didn't answer and kept on staring at the scene unfolding before his eyes. When Mayuri had patched him up and had given him the needle, Gin had found it hard to believe that a simple drug created by humans would cause the Espada to hallucinate, but after the doctor had mentioned it would cause "mental destruction" he couldn't resist conducting in this little experiment of his own.

He took a few steps forward and looked at the blue-haired one, who was still drinking from the puddle. While waiting for the perfect moment, Gin positioned his _Zanpaktou_ right above his opponent's tongue.

Then, when Grimmjow was ready to take another sip of the water, Gin only had to move his hand downwards and listen to the screams that were emerging from below.

Not only had he caused the Espada a serious amount of pain, but the tip of the sword that was pierced though his tongue also kept him in place, just outside of the puddle, for moving would cause for the panther to lose the muscle completely.

The blood which was flowing from the fresh wound mixed with the water, creating a scene that must have been hard for the panther to watch, because as soon as Gin released him from the tip of his sword, he shot backwards. His hands were pressed tightly against his temples and his eyes were forced shut.

'Snakes!' he yelled. 'There are giant purple snakes in the blood. What the fuck did you do to me?'

Gin had trouble to control his urge to laugh.

'I already told you what I did to you, there's no point in telling you again. By the way, I'm surprised you can still speak so clearly with that big wound in your tongue, isn't it almost coming off?'

Grimmjow kept on pressing one hand against his temple and with the other he created a cero as he searched for the snake.

'Where the hell are you hiding? Show yourself!'

Gin, who was right in front of him, readied his _Zanpaktou_ again and took an offensive position.

_'Shoot to kill, Shinso.'_

Grimmjow flew backwards as soon as the blade had pierced his upper arm and was only stopped by the tree to which he got pinned. Once again, his screams filled the area as he could feel the bone being sliced in two.

'Fuck!' he yelled as he put his one free arm forward.

'_Cero! Cero! CERO!_ Die, you filthy snake!'

As if it were nothing, Gin simply dodged the coming attacks and swiftly appeared behind the deviant, cutting the tree that was in his way. Grimmjow fell to his knees and looked behind him.

'There you are!' he screamed.

His mouth grabbed ahold of what he thought was Gin's ear and ripped it off, only to discover it tasted like wood.

'How dare you interfere with my experiment?' he asked rhetorically.

'Your experiment was doomed to fail from the beginning, you thickheaded idiot. An Espada can never grow more powerful from eating _Shinigami_, we are not like Hollows, you should have figured that out from the beginning.'

'What?'

'It's just as I said; we're not like Hollows, you can't gain anything from eating our flesh and bone. And now you have killed someone who is very dear to Matsumoto. Just for that, I will see upon your slow and painful death.'

Grimmjow stood straight and for the first time in this slightly unfair fight, he got to inflict some damage, for the Espada's claw scraped along Gin's torso, causing a small amount of blood to drip on the ground.

'I will kill you, just like I killed that ice-brat and after that, I will make sure that woman suffers even more than he did. Don't think that just because you drugged me that you can bea-'

The panther probably had more to say, more provocations to throw Gin's way, but unfortunately for him, he never got the chance. The snake had grabbed ahold of the blue-haired one's tongue and in one smooth movement, ripped it off, for it had already been severed during his previous attack on the muscle.

Even though the Espada could no longer speak clearly, he could still scream and just hearing the noises that left his mouth would make many creatures shudder with horror.

With a dull thud, Grimmjow fell to the ground on his knees and when Gin put his foot on said knees, he crushed the bones with a force that could only belong to a Captain.

The snake had expected for the panther to let out more desperate screams and found himself surprised when there was nothing but silence.

With a few broken ribs, a severed upper arm, crushed legs and his tongue ripped off, Grimmjow couldn't do much more than staying still. His body was covered in blood, mainly flowing from his mouth and when he made one final attempt to get up, he fell down immediately, coughing up the thick red fluid and pressing his hand against his head.

Looking at the convulsing being in front of him made Gin laugh in a maniacal matter not many had heard him do.

'Are you enjoying your psychotic trip?' Gin asked, knowing his opponent couldn't talk back.

All Grimmjow did, was stare at where he thought the snake stood, a few meters away from his original position.

Gin took a seat on one of the tree branches and looked at the final moments of the one who dared to oppose him, thinking about the irony that came with this victory. He had mentally destroyed death's aspect of destruction, the kind of destruction he had feared most.

'And so the snake poisoned the panther,' he whispered as he watched the Espada's final moments of suffering.

* * *

'There you are.'

Gin approached Matsumoto and put a hand on her shoulder as he crouched beside her, hoping she would soon cease her crying.

'It's all my fault,' the Lieutenant muttered. 'If I hadn't run away, I could have helped him and he would still be alive!'

As she stared at the wooden cross in front of her, tears kept on moistening the sand beneath her. Not only had she lost her Captain, but also a dear friend who had fought to protect her. It was more than the relatively young Lieutenant could handle.

'He ordered you to run, didn't he?'

Matsumoto nodded.

'Well then, he couldn't have died a more beautiful death; fighting for someone he deeply cared about. He has accomplished his goal; to save you. If you're not grateful for that, you'll trample on his sacrifice.'

The crying had stopped and with big eyes, Matsumoto stared at her childhood friend.

'Be thankful for what he did and live your life to the fullest, I'm sure he will be smiling upon you when he sees that.'

Upon those words, the Lieutenant started to show a slight smile and started to mumble her gratitude. Though Gin himself didn't really care about Captain Hitsugaya, he did care about the pain Matsumoto felt, for the promise he made her when they were kids was to make sure she would never have to cry again.

'I'm sorry,' he said. 'For everything I did to you. I may have not been able to take out Aizen, but if the Gotei 13 combines all forces, I'm sure we can kill him, we just have to. I will promise you again: I will change things, so that you don't have to cry anymore, Rangiku, I swear.'

~The End


End file.
